Pulse articles from February 2003

Pulse archives from February 2003

GPs force ministers to scale down NHS Direct.(National Health Service)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Government is planning to scale down massively the role of NHS Direct in out-of-hours care and hand back power to GP co-operatives. Pulse has learned that ministers are considering an announcement next month to transfer call triage back...

Contract vote rests on a knife-edge.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The outcome of the ballot on the GP contract is finely balanced, early results from a Pulse survey indicate. Of the first 250 responses, 123 said they expected to vote No on March 20 while 122 said they planned to vote Yes - based on what...

Climbie report will put GPs under increased scrutiny.(Victoria Climbie)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs face a delicate balancing act to detect signs of child abuse in the wake of the landmark inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbie. Child health experts warned GPs they would come under increased scrutiny and could face legal action...

Patient leaves #8,000 drug legacy.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Dr David Spackman was stunned to discover a former patient had hoarded 33 years' worth of drugs prescribed by the practice, all unused. The patient, who died of lung cancer last year, kept the drugs in a sack which was five feet high when...

GPs slam claim over discharges.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Government's drive to tackle bed blocking is putting vulnerable patients' lives at risk, GPs have warned. Official figures released last week showed 1,500 fewer patients per day were waiting to be discharged in September 2002 than a...

GPs face refresher courses in #400k MMR campaign.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Government is ploughing #400,000 into a campaign to brief GPs on the most up-to-date evidence on MMR safety in a bid to boost flagging uptake of the vaccine. The 20 English PCT areas with lowest MMR uptake have been given #20,000 each...

LMC plans alternative GP contract.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... An LMC has promised to show its GPs an alternative non-NHS contractual model if they do not like the new GP contract. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LMC drew up the plan last year. It told Pulse last week it was considering polling GPs ahead...

`It takes us a year to replace one partner'.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Dr Subathra Ratnarajan says GPs in her PCT now expect to wait at least a year to recruit a partner. The BMA's latest GP vacancy survey showed her PCT, Greenwich in south-east London, had the highest vacancy rate with 16 per cent of posts...

RCGP predicts new contract will speed up exodus of GPs.
February 3, 2003... GP shortages will get worse before they get better, the RCGP has warned. And the new contract could even exacerbate recruitment and retention in the short-term. The warning, from college vice-chair Dr Tina Ambury, came after latest BMA...

`Give GPs more cash for working in capital'.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs should get bigger golden hellos and extra cash for training and accommodation to entice them to work in the capital, the London Assembly has been told. Dr Peter McRorie, head of graduate entry at St George's Hospital Medical School,...

`Booking online reduces DNAs'.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Dr Prakash Kakoty believes online booking for GP appointments will significantly reduce numbers of non-attenders. His practice, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, is one of a handful taking part in an EMIS trial to test online surgery appointment...

GP struck off for allowing ex-addict to run surgery.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A GP has been struck off for knowingly employing a suspected criminal with a history of drug misuse who was given access to blank prescriptions and controlled drugs. Dr Colin Ogdon, a singlehanded GP in Prestwich, Manchester, gave Darren...

Levonelle linked to ectopic pregnancy.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs should warn women who take emergency contraception of the risk of ectopic pregnancy, new Government guidance states. Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson issued the guidance last week after concerns were raised over the...

50 GPs apply to join up.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... The Royal Navy has confirmed that 50 GPs have expressed an interest in joining up for five years in return for #50,000 golden hellos and salaries of up to #94,000. A spokesman for the Navy said typically one in 12 who inquired actually...

Asthma care U-turn as GPs told to step up steroid dose.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs have been told to reverse their approach to asthma management and cut dramatically the initial dose of inhaled steroid they prescribe, in an overhaul of the national asthma guidelines. Experts from the British Thoracic Society last week...

Guidelines aim to cut deaths.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Dr Hilary Pinnock hopes the new national asthma guidelines will help reduce hospital admissions and cut unnecessary asthma deaths. Dr Pinnock, a GP in Whitstable, Kent, and member of the British Thoracic Society's guideline group, said the...

Alert on asthma risk factors.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs should raise their awareness of the major risk factors for asthma and use objective tests when diagnosing the illness, according to the new guidelines. Key risk factors are listed that GPs should consider whenever a patient presents...

GPs are set to boycott new sexual health role.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... New guidance on the Government's sexual health strategy expects GPs to test men for chlamydia too - by Rob Gough GPs will be expected to provide chlamydia testing for men as well as women under the Government's sexual health strategy,...

Spanish GP has more time to see patients.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Salaried GP Dr Sandra MartAEn has noticed how much more time she has with patients than her practice's partners since arriving from Spain six months ago. Dr MartAEn is one of seven Spanish GPs recruited to County Durham last year to ease...

PCT spends #700 per GP to meet the appraisals deadline.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... All GPs in one primary care trust will have undergone appraisal by the Government's March deadline, Pulse has learned. Darlington PCT has bucked the national trend by investing #42,000 in the scheme. It expects to have appraised its 66 GPs...

GPs lack resources for 48-hour access.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs cannot provide 48-hour access and continuity of care within their current resources, Government-funded research has concluded. The study of 21,905 patients found most expected to be able to see a GP within 24 hours and were only...

GPs clash in strike-off row over asylum seekers.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A bitter row has erupted between GPs over allegations that practices have struck patients off their lists at random to make room for asylum seekers. The row erupted after a PCT criticised an LMC chair in an open letter to a local...

GPs hit back at bed blocking claims.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... GPs have angrily rejected PCT accusations that they `don't care' about bed blocking at a local hospital. Janet Looker, chair of Selby and York PCT and a councillor for the City of York, told a recent meeting of trusts, hospitals and...

GPs face frustrating future as PCTs fail to prepare for new contract.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Many PCTs have failed to heed repeated warnings to prepare now for the new GP contract, according to the NHSConfederation. NHS Confederation negotiator Dr Tony Snell said progress in implementing the deal was variable among trusts. The...

Cleared GP still cannot practise.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A GP cleared of indecent assault by a crown court has been refused permission to return to practice. Dr Abdullah Hoodbhoy was cleared in July last year of 14 charges of indecent assault on women at his surgery in Manningtree, Essex. ...

`Give RSV drug to highest risk toddlers'.(respiratory syncytial virus)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Under-twos at highest risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) should be given the monoclonal antibody palivizumab, Government vaccine advisers have agreed. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended all...

Asylum seekers only please.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A medical centre exclusively for asylum seekers and refugees has been set up in Birmingham. The move comes after Dr Vijayakar Abrol, a GP in the city, placed a sign in his surgery window saying `No asylum seekers please' in pro- test at...

GP laughs off e-mail scam.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... A part-time GP in Edinburgh has been targeted in a bizarre internet money-making scam. Dr Ian McKee is one of many GPs who has received an e-mail claiming to be from the widow of the late `president' Laurent Kabila of the Democratic...

Dobson calls for extra GP staff.(Frank Dobson)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Former Health Secretary Frank Dobson wants GPs to get extra clerical staff to cope with workload. `While there's a shortage of doctors and will be for many years to come, one of the things that should be done is to get additional clerical...

GPs criticise PCTs over referrals.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Less than a quarter of GPs sitting on primary care trusts believe the new organisations are managing demand for referrals effectively, research by the NHS Alliance has found. Only one in 10 GPs at the 81 trusts surveyed said control of...

Letter: If I allow out-of-hours to lose me #10,000 I'd be a mug.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... Dr Philip Rathbone made a crucial point about out-of-hours (Letters, January 27). At present, we GPs are paid as contractors to provide out- of-hours cover for our patients. We are paid a small capitation, night visit fees, and out-of-hours...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Appraisal delays don't bode well for new contract.(Editorial)
February 3, 2003... It is not surprising that GPs, impatient with delays to the publication of the new contract, are pressurising the GPC to publish its contingency plans for a No vote. And it is not surprising many GPs have decided the new contract talks will...

Letter: We undervalue our out-of-hours.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... In your report headlined `Shift rates set to rocket in out-of-hours free market' (January 20) yet again someone has decided that our out-of- hour work is worth #60 an hour. I sometimes wonder why we undervalue ourselves so much. It is time...

Letter: We have no need to defend charges.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... I was shocked to read NHS Alliance chair Dr Mike Dixon state `It would be difficult to defend private care provided by the same doctors in the same premises as GMS' (January 20). I believe it is axiomatic that patients must be charged to...

Letter: Reject contract if there's no room for patient choice.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... I hope GPC chair Dr John Chisholm is correct in his belief that the new contract will rejuvenate general practice. I also hope it will take into account the position of GPs all over the country who are penalised by patients who choose,...

Letter: Nurse prescribers quite up to the job.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... I refer to your news report on antibiotic prescribing by nurses (January 20). Do doctors really think nurses do not understand the risks associated with antibiotic prescribing? Was is not the medical profession who caused the problems of...

Letter: `Target range' for GPs' complaint is a target too far.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... Dr John Fitton's assertion that GPs who attract few, if any, complaints are perhaps not doing the job properly is an example of twisted logic (Letters, January 27). If he chooses to rationalise his level of complaints by theorising that...

Letter: How to `panic' successfully on your PC.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... A female partner felt intimidated in her consulting room and this led us to come up with an unusual way of installing security alarms. We set up panic macros on all PCs so anyone working alone in a consulting room who is in an intimidating...

Letter: Doctors' pay is no laughing matter.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... Dr Colin Spencer's letter where he contrasted a locum's earnings with a plumber's (January 27) reminded me of a joke in the Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics a few years ago. A plumber attended a lady to repair the blocked sink. After a...

Letter: Would GPs' prescribing stand scrutiny?(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2003... Your news report on nurse prescribing (January 20) makes me ashamed to be a doctor. Where's the evidence for this attack? Nurses are part of the team, we should be working together to benefit patients. Nurses at Southampton's walk-in centre...

How I hope contract will solve patient allocations.
February 3, 2003... Dr Anthony Pickering on why and how the contract must tackle the allocations crisis Allocation of patients to practices has long been a problem, but whereas previously anxieties were focused on difficult behaviour, now the problem is...

Developing a system for adverse incident reporting.
February 3, 2003... Dr Karen Dalby explains how an adverse incident could be reported and analysed using an example based on MDU case files The GMC has told doctors they must take part in adverse incident reporting, and this will soon be made mandatory for all...

Why VAT man has pot of gold in store for dispensing practices.
February 3, 2003... Dispensing practices now have the opportunity to reclaim some earnings - Tim Buss explains Many predictions for 2003 were gloomy, but there was good news for dispensing practices from one unlikely source - the VAT man. This was thanks to a...

When a patient with prostate cancer decides to take control.
February 3, 2003... Case history Mr Jones, 75, was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and had a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). He has attended the surgery infrequently since, requesting blood tests for PSA. He comes today, again...

Life as a new principal.
February 3, 2003... Dr Aran Gillespie meets a spirited granny and takes time out Doc in the hot seat I met a mad granny today. I know this may not strike you as unusual, but this wasn't the usual prelude to a psychogeriatric referral. This was the good...

Obsessive compulsive disorder.
February 3, 2003... GP Dr Stephan Cembrowicz talks with consultant psychiatrist Dr Paul Dedman about advances in the management of obsessive compulsive type disorders In obsessive compulsive disorder there are obsessions which are recurrent, persistent ideas,...

What GPs should know about man-made chemicals.
February 3, 2003... Dr Vyvyan Howard explains how artificial chemicals can disrupt hormones and what can be done to avoid this In modern society we are exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals in our lives. Most of us have measurable levels of at least 300...

Dealing with speech problems in a child.
February 3, 2003... Case history Two-year-old Jake is brought in by his parents because they feel he should have started talking clearly by now - his speech is mostly babbling. Jake has a five-year-old sister who could talk clearly when she was Jake's age....

Making the case for a diploma in child health.
February 3, 2003... Should you be chasing another diploma or practising? Dr David Hall gives his view Reasons to take the diploma The diploma in child health can be sat twice a year and is designed to test your ability to diagnose and manage common and...

ANSWER BACK: Why aren't potatoes in `five a day' programme?(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Q: We are all advised to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day but I believe potatoes are excluded. Why? A: Potatoes are a very important component in the diet of the average Briton. The Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British...

ANSWER BACK: Can I claim a fee for passport red tape?(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Q: The Passport Agency regularly asks me for written statements `on company notepaper' to confirm my signature on application forms. Can I claim a fee for this, as it is quite time-consuming? A: In the interests of security the Passport...

Nursing staff conduct GP appraisals.(general practioners)
February 10, 2003... GPs' performance is being appraised by health visitors, school nurses and practice managers under a controversial scheme backed by the GMC. Practice staff who conduct the annual GP appraisals get the same #150 fee and training as GP...

GPs see little hope in contract.(general practioners)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... GPs have lost all confidence that the new contract will improve their lot, a Pulse survey shows. Eight out of 10 GPs are convinced the contract will fail to deliver on workload when it is published next week. More than half the...

Privy Council rules one fatal error doesn't make a bad GP.(general practioner)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... A GP who made one negligent mistake in an otherwise unblemished 25-year career has won an appeal against a GMC ruling that he was guilty of serious professional misconduct. In a rare verdict, the Privy Council - the highest court of appeal...

GP warns of care gap for epilepsy.(general practioner)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Dr Rupert Manley has persuaded his GP colleagues to carry out a county- wide audit of epilepsy care after reading news stories in Pulse that highlighted gaps in primary care management of the condition. Dr Manley, a GP in St Ives, Cornwall,...

In-practice surveys get positive results.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... GPs who survey patients in their practice get more positive results than those who use postal questionnaires, a new study suggests. The finding could help GPs earn bonus payments, based on the results of satisfaction surveys in the new...

Patient's death prompts alert on GPs' handwriting.(general practioners)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Liam Donaldson has warned all GPs that poor handwriting can put lives at risk after a patient died from a warfarin overdose. Sir Liam was prompted to act by a coroner who recorded an accidental death...

Go-ahead for bowel screening.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The Government has committed itself to a national bowel cancer screening programme but has yet to decide which test to use. National cancer director Professor Mike Richards gave the go-ahead for a national roll-out last week. But the...

GPs may control gene test sales.(general practioners)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The Government's genetics watchdog last week announced it would recommend tougher controls on the sale of genetic test kits. A meeting of the Human Genetics Commission last week concluded that gene tests for chronic diseases, such as...

Singlehanded GPs give more unnecessary prescriptions.(general practioners)
February 10, 2003... Singlehanded GPs are more likely to have high prescribing costs than those in group practices, a major Government-funded study has revealed. The GP-led study found singlehanders were 59 per cent more likely to be in the top quintile of...

Hayfever season will start earlier.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... GPs should expect a significant rise in consultation rates towards the end of March as the allergy season arrives earlier every year, experts have warned. Professor Jean Emberlin, director of the National Pollen Research Unit, said birch...

Alzheimer drug cost warning.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The GPC has warned that GP spending on drugs for Alzheimer's disease could spiral out of control as latest Department of Health figures show prescribing costs have more than doubled in a year. Alzheimer's disease drugs cost the NHS #11.6...

GP quality payments for asthma to hinge on structured care.
February 10, 2003... Minimum care standards set out in the new national asthma guidelines will form the benchmarks GPs will have to meet to get quality payments under the new contract, negotiators have indicated. The asthma element of the quality and outcomes...

Impotence drug to be rationed.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The new erectile dysfunction treatment Cialis (tadalafil), launched in the UK last week, will be subject to the same Government prescribing restrictions that apply to Viagra. GPs will only be able to prescribe the drug on the NHS to certain...

GPs have to set up registers of high-risk under-65s for flu campaign.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... GPs will be ordered by the Government to set up registers of all high- risk patients, including the under-65s, in time for next winter's flu immunisation campaign. The Department of Health is planning to issue guidance to ensure all...

Guidelines demand DEXA scans for all patients on steroids.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... All patients taking inhaled or oral steroids should have their bone mineral density measured with DEXA scanning, according to new guidelines. The guidelines on steroid-induced osteoporosis, published last month by the Royal College of...

Pensions will make or break GP contract.
February 10, 2003... Pensions and allocations will be crucial to how GPs vote next month - Ian Cameron reports on a key Pulse survey GPs have issued the GPC with an ultimatum to produce an acceptable deal on pensions and forced allocations or risk a resounding...

GP contract: GPC roadshow dates in your area.
February 10, 2003... 3 March * Manchester De Vere Whites Hotel, Reebok Stadium, Bolton 7pm 4 March * South Staffs/North Staffs/Shropshire Stafford County Showground (Pavilion Conference Centre) 7pm * Kent Russell Hotel, Maidstone 1pm; Ashford International...

Contract No vote would leave GPs facing funding black hole.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The GPC has warned of a funding black hole if GPs reject the new contract, with the Government leaving primary care to foot the bill for key clinical initiatives. The Department of Health has made it clear it expects the new contract to...

Government sets date for abolition of CHCs.(Community Health Councils)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Community Health Councils will be abolished on September 1 this year, the Department of Health has announced. In a Commons statement, Health Minister David Lammy said the councils' powers would be transferred to patient forums being set up by...

GP's concern at rising tide of racial abuse.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Dr Vallatholsarat Chandran has welcomed a new study that exposes rising racial harassment in the Welsh valleys. Researchers from the Valleys Race Equality Council found more than half of all residents from ethnic minorities in the region...

Regular consulter rate stays stable.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... The number of people making a regular visit to their GP has fallen by less than 1 per cent in the last 10 years. Research by market analyst Mintel found 51.7 per cent of patients made regular visits to their GP in 1992. In 2002 the figure...

Letter: We must vote No as this contract is not watertight.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2003... The new contract will not be worth the paper it is written on. Our negotiators' time and energy, all of our careful consideration of the detail of the contract and approval of its content will be wasted. If this contract as it stands is offered...

EDITORIAL COMMENT: GPC has false impression of GPs' real mood.(Editorial)
February 10, 2003... There's no mistaking the current mood of GPs, the majority of whom do not feel life will improve significantly under a new contract. With just 11 days to go before publication of the fully priced contract, a Pulse survey of some 500 GPs reveals...

Letter: Situation with GP pay is no longer tolerable.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2003... Dr Philip Rathbone (Letters, January 27) has lost the plot. GPs throughout the UK have given notice to all concerned that the current situation regarding workload and remuneration is no longer tolerable. Out-of-hours services have been...

Has pensions parity been forgotten?(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2003... Have I missed something? Is there a deathly silence on that most important pension issue - the accrual factor? Was is not agreed some time ago that this should increase from 1.4 per cent to 1.6 per cent? Effectively this would increase the GP...

Letter: Quality of life, not just cash.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2003... If the Government provides good facilities and resources there is no need to resign from general practice. GPs as individuals should be happy with what they do, otherwise there is no point in being in this job. Money is not a factor for...

Letter: My experience of NHS Direct.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2003... I refer to your story on NHS Direct (February 3). NHS Direct on one occasion diagnosed a man as having cystitis. I admitted him with appendicitis. On many occasions NHS Direct transfers responsibilty to co-ops ineffectively. Often patients use...

Voting on the new contract - first we need to see Plan B.
February 10, 2003... Dr Charles Simenoff says the GPC must urgently discuss alternative models for general practice so GPs can make an informed choice on the new contract I believe the time has come for the GPC to unveil Plan B - a secret list of alternative...

Patient allocation: a real problem for my practice.
February 10, 2003... If morale is to be maintained in general practice, if patients are to receive satisfactory treatment, and if there is to be any hope whatsoever of recruiting more GPs, the allocations problem must be given the very highest priority in the new...

Q&AS: I think practice withdrew job offer because I was pregnant.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Q Towards the end of my registrar year I was approached by a neighbouring practice about a partnership vacancy. Following an interview, the senior partner said they intended to offer me the job. I then discovered that I was pregnant, and...

When barrack-room lawyer joins patient participation group.
February 10, 2003... The problem Our practice has a patient participation group that meets monthly with a partner present. It raises money to buy equipment that benefits patients. Over the past few years the group has made several valuable suggestions. It is...

Facing the challenge of training to be a trainer.
February 10, 2003... Dr Neil Brownlee didn't really know what to expect when he decided to train to become a trainer - here he outlines why he did it and what is involved Doctors become trainers for varied reasons. Personally, I had always enjoyed the half-day...

Handling a seizure victim who insists on driving.
February 10, 2003... Case history Teresa, 45, is not registered with you, but you know her slightly from the leisure club. One Sunday you are in the supermarket and there is a commotion. Teresa is lying on the floor surrounded by staff and shoppers, and her...